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Tuesday, 29 May 2018

Bristol VegFest 2018 | Diversity, Food Heaven & Live Cooking

Hey folks,

My bank holiday weekend was brightened up by a trip to Bristol for this year's VegFest (26th/27th May). It was my first time visiting the city and I've come away with a pretty positive impression of the place. Granted, I was only there for a couple of days but still virtually every encounter was a friendly one, the vegan food scene is top-notch and it turned out to be a much-needed peaceful break away from busy ol' London.

On Sunday, I was billed to give a cookery demonstration and as with my demo at Brighton VegFest earlier this year, it was a wonderful experience. It gets easier each time I do it and gosh, it blows my mind how much I actually enjoy it - recovering shy kid that I am. I introduced the audience to a couple of Nigerian snacks - donkwa and plantain chips - both of which were well received.Side note: if you're thinking of getting into cookery demos, be sure to check out my video where I share a few tips and tricks.

The event itself was a success. A vegan's dream come true. Food, clothing, jewellery, art, beauty, entertainment, talks, literature - there was sheer abundance. I was struck by the diversity too. From Caribbean, Japanese and Indian food (to name a few) to black-owned vegan businesses to various cuisines represented on the cookery demo stage to talks by prominent black vegan activists such as Christopher Sebastian, it seems as though VegFest is making a conscious effort to be more inclusive. The way it should be. Vegans come in all shades, shapes and from different walks of life, and it is absolutely imperative that this is reflected in mainstream veganism. You'll see what I mean in this little video I put together.

Thank you to the organisers and to everyone who made the event what it was. I hope to be back again next year!